The MLP Arena
TCB => Trader & Shipping Support => Topic started by: MLPgal13 on March 28, 2019, 01:18:32 PM
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Collecting ponies filled a void in my heart for many many years. Collecting them, hunting them and owning them gave me moments of joy that I desperately needed. I will always be MLPgal however, long story short, I've massed quite a collection that I'd like to sell off as I am no longer an active collector. However, Selling them one at a time on eBay seems very time consuming and honestly the eBay fees have totally gotten out of hand in my opinion.
I am sure this question has been asked time and time again but I really would like to know everyone's opinion on the best way to sell these off. I will be keep some of my harder to find and my most loved ponies but I literally have hundreds to sell off.
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I think it depends what you want. Unload them quick, or make the most back.
eBay in the end has the best exposure/ most buyers and probably is the fastest.
Otherwise another popular option is Facebook?
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In addition to eBay and Facebook, you can also sell here on the Arena!
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Totally here at the Arena! You will know the buyers, and there are no fees!
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Idk if this is what exactly you're asking but if you're looking to sell them efficiently, you could group some together either by year, colour, mould, ect or it could be going through someone's wish list and offering a bundle to them, having someone else go through your list and coming to an agreement, or messaging you to ask which ponies you have and deciding on a bundle.
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My suggestions would be:
- Craigslist, it's free to list and people often pay with cash. Which means no fee at all. Also means you don't have to ship. However, you may not get any interest if there aren't any collectors in your area. My feeling on Craigslist is "try it, but don't invest a lot of time in it."
- Facebook. There are lots of MLP and vintage toy Facebook groups, join as many of them as possible (that are relevant.) Read the rules first, of course, and make sure they allow selling. Also list them in Facebook's Marketplace. You can list in multiple groups + Facebook's Marketplace at the same time. It's free.
- eBay. eBay charges about 10% on final value fees. On the one hand, that is pretty expensive. On the other hand eBay is STILL the place that has the biggest audience. Most of the ponies I sell, I sell through eBay.
- Forums like the Arena and Trading Post. But it's hard to move "regular" ponies (like Sundance, Cotton Candy, etc) here because most members have been here so long they have all the common ponies they need. Good for selling rare ponies.
As far as selling quickly, I'd group them by sets ("The Sparkle pony set, the TAF set" etc) and / or offer discounts when people buy multiples.
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What a task this is going to be! To take pics and researching each pony! Just something I have to dive into I guess.
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Advice: do groups of 10 at a time, it is less overwhelming that way
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- Forums like the Arena and Trading Post. But it's hard to move "regular" ponies (like Sundance, Cotton Candy, etc) here because most members have been here so long they have all the common ponies they need. Good for selling rare ponies.
As far as selling quickly, I'd group them by sets ("The Sparkle pony set, the TAF set" etc) and / or offer discounts when people buy multiples.
While there certainly is a fairly high number of people that already have a lot/most/all of the more common ponies, there are still always new or returning collectors here, too. I would be more than happy to buy a whole set from a collector here, even if it is all common ponies. Trust levels here on the Arena are much higher, and if I am buying from a fellow collector and not just someone who swaps stuff, I can be sure that the ponies have been well taken care of and are probably in a better condition than from Dave Random on eBay!
Just to make sure I am not misunderstood, I'm not saying you are wrong, not at all! I just wanted to advocate trying to sell here too :)
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Advice: do groups of 10 at a time, it is less overwhelming that way
This is what I wanted to suggest. Group up commons into lots. And then sell ponies worth more than $20 by themselves.
I tend to group up ponies in whatever is <1lb to keep shipping down so overall cost is lower but with the way shipping prices are, not sure that matters anymore..
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As you are a collector and know your ponies, I don't think you really need to group them in sets as such. There are plenty of mixed lots out there (I'm talking about eBay here, but you could sell anywhere you please). You could always group say 10-15 ponies randomly together and just sell like that. In this way you can also sell your Cotton Candies, Blossoms and Applejacks by just popping one into each lot. I love looking for those lots and seeing what might be in them myself, and I can't imagine I am alone in that. Good luck :)
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I think you've got plenty good advice on this (thanks everyone!! :grouphug: ) It's not going to be quick and easy, but work through gradually and you'll be ok :) . Don't try to do too many in one go. Ebay is the place to make the most profit , here is the best place to find another collector with good feedback /good standing in the community to deal with more personally if you'd rather lower the risk of selling to a non-paying bidder or potential scammer :awake:
One thing to keep in mind - if you have a really common pony , but the condition is immaculate (added bonus if you have the original accessories but if not just make the pony look nice by adding a ribbon or two - make sure to put in the description if the ribbon is original/genuine mlp or not) , you can still make a decent profit on them on ebay :D . I found that out with a Cotton Candy , Windy and Apple jack. There are usually collectors out there who are looking for a mint upgrade, and there are also new collectors who are starting out and looking for ponies already in good condition.
Otherwise the best way to sell off very common ponies is definitely to put them in groups but with more valuable HTF ponies so that you make decent money at the same time. Hope that helps a bit :relaxed:
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I think you've got plenty good advice on this (thanks everyone!! :grouphug: ) It's not going to be quick and easy, but work through gradually and you'll be ok :) . Don't try to do too many in one go. Ebay is the place to make the most profit , here is the best place to find another collector with good feedback /good standing in the community to deal with more personally if you'd rather lower the risk of selling to a non-paying bidder or potential scammer :awake:
One thing to keep in mind - if you have a really common pony , but the condition is immaculate (added bonus if you have the original accessories but if not just make the pony look nice by adding a ribbon or two - make sure to put in the description if the ribbon is original/genuine mlp or not) , you can still make a decent profit on them on ebay :D . I found that out with a Cotton Candy , Windy and Apple jack. There are usually collectors out there who are looking for a mint upgrade, and there are also new collectors who are starting out and looking for ponies already in good condition.
Otherwise the best way to sell off very common ponies is definitely to put them in groups but with more valuable HTF ponies so that you make decent money at the same time. Hope that helps a bit :relaxed:
Ditto this! Common ponies in good condition can still command decent prices. Ebays fees are crazy so I prefer to sell through here when possible :)
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eBay's fees are such a pain, BUT I will say this . . . When you're selling a LOT of ponies, eBay makes it easy to see what you've shipped, what you need to ship, if the person has paid yet, what their address is, and all that organizational stuff. And that is worth something.
Even NPB are just an annoyance . . . I had on one a L.O.L. Surprise doll and that was no fun, but it is pretty low-energy to file a NPB report and get your fees back.
That said . . . 10% is a significant amount in fees. Plus the 2.9% (? I think) that Paypal charges on top of that. But it's just something to consider if you're thinking about selling ponies en masse.
Also, do be aware that eBay just changed their Buy It Now listings so that they are all now "Good Till Canceled." What this means is that BIN listings no longer expire after 30 days. Instead, eBay automatically relists them after 30 days. And they will charge you a $0.30 fee per listing if you don't have any free listings left. (You get 50 free listings a month, unless you have an eBay store. So you should be okay if you stay at just 50 BINs or lower.)
Oh, also! If you are using eBay, use their "Print Shipping Label" option. And if you aren't using eBay, sign up for Stamps.com and print shipping from there. Your postage will be cheaper if you pre-print it, compared to waiting in line at the PO. Buy a mail scale if you don't have one already. It is worth it.
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Buy a mail scale if you don't have one already. It is worth it.
Definitely this!!! ( thanks LadyMoondancer :) ) I knew I'd forgot something important ( :facepalm: :blush: ) .
If you have your own mail scale - even a cheap digital kitchen scale will do (that's what I use and it's really accurate) - then you can work out the postage costs yourself before listing by checking the weight etc of the parcel online first. Then you won't have to make trips to the PO to check the weight /cost before listing and you won't have any nasty surprise higher shipping costs after a sale either ;) :relaxed:
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Definitely recommend the scale. It has made shipping much easier although I still go to the PO as I am paranoid and expect their scales to be something different. It's saved me a lot of money on guessed quotes though.
Regarding shipped items - Ebay does remind you but I have a system I've used for years which is super high tech in terms of keeping track of what to whom and so on....
...A notebook.
Ok, really not being sarcastic now but when I have a bunch of sales on here or anywhere, I write down the ponies and the person for whom they're on hold. If the sale then happens I add the address, and amount...type of shipping to be used...when paid...then when packed...then when posted. And when posted I put a single line through it so I know it's gone but can still see the details if I need it. I also keep the postal receipts as the tracking is on them but I always put tracking on ebay/on paypal/in a Pm to the buyer as soon as I can in case something happens to the receipt.
Once the transaction is over and safely received and buyer is happy, those pages get removed and shredded.
I'm really disorganised so I really break it down to something mundane as I find it easier to keep track of things written on paper than on the PC...
But my real advice here would be to do only as many sales at once as you feel you can handle. Everyone has a different maximum that they can deal with at one go.
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I would sell either through here or Instagram. EBay is a last resort for me as it’s so expensive.
Also keep a spreadsheet of who bought what and where do you can keep track of everything!